First released in 1997, Fuller's Vintage Ale is brewed in limited batches with each bottle being numbered. It can be enjoyed immediately, or Fuller's recommends laying the beer down to enjoy when it peaks in 3 to 4 years and consume at cellar temperature. And though it's released each year as a separate vintage, BA has been informed that the recipe is only slightly tweaked from year to year, while the ABV remains at 8.5%.

Reviews by MattMcGinnis:

Taste: Silk mouthfeel layers on butterscotch hops, carmel malted orange peel and a slightly bitter alcohol bite at the end. The sweetness and boozy bite are to be expected from a brew that packs in 8.5% alcohol.

My full review is here: http://whatareyoudrinking.net/2010/07/fullers-vintage-ale-my-magic-carpet-ride-to-london/

More User Reviews:

A - A finger and a half worth of cascading slightly late to develop light khaki colored froth that is equal parts airy and creamy... Audibly fizzy... Limited retention gives way to a full rich creamy mostly thick lacing... The color is a muted light-to-medium brown... There is a subtle murkiness about... A limited bit of sluggish carbonation can be seen rising along the sides of the glass...

S - Holy malt bomb batman... I love it... Bursting at the seams with rich caramel and toffee... Loaded with an abundance of dark fruits... Molasses... Light notes of brown sugar... Just a hint of vanilla... A very light whiff of booziness on the back end... Stellar with excellent depth and complexity...

T - Light brown sugar notes to start... Next comes a wave of dark fruit notes... Next there are subtle hints of toffee, vanilla and caramel... There seems to be a very subtle re component on the finish that compliments the warmth of the alcohol... The booziness lingers on the finish...

M - On the fuller side of medium bodied... Smooth and sophisticated... Coats the mouth and is a bit sticky... Some limited carbonation... The deep finish turns a bit chalky with just a touch of dryness... A light alcohol induced warmth lingers on the finish as well...

D - What a wonderful beer... Elegant... Sophisticated... A definite sipper... I found my self relaxing more and more with each and every sip... Beyond very good and just a notch below world class... I eagerly await the ability to try additional vintages... I'm not surprised that I liked this beer given the lofty expectations that I had, but I'm surprised that I enjoyed this much... Highly recommended and must for those BAs who enjoy the occassional malt bomb...

Appearance: This beer pours a deep burnt orange, almost the color of a fall leaf with some brownish hues. A two finger creamy head forms. The head has a tannish color to it. The retention is very strong and a thin tan layer stays on the surface the whole time. As it moves around the glass it leaves behind huge foamy streaks on the glass. It is fairly hazy and almost opaque, but streaks of brightness break through the haze.

Smell: The scent starts off with a few different characteristics. The is a strong graininess to it, hinting at toasted grains and caramelized malts with no signs of roasted malts. Some strong hoppy aromas come through reminiscent of citrus, herbs and some earthiness. Overall the scent is sweet with small amounts of earthy bitterness.

Taste: The taste opens up a very slight hop bite. The taste of the hops is citrus, herbs, and some earthiness. The bitterness is quickly drowned out by a rich sweetness, caramels, toffee, and some dark fruits. The fruitiness varies from raisins to figs. Some maple syrup comes through lightly and mixes with some tobacco. Some booziness is present near the end in the form of rum or possibly brandy.

Mouthfeel: The feel on this one is thick and chewy. There is plenty of sweetness in the flavor but almost none is left behind, eaten up by mostly tobacco and some earthy bitterness. There is a slight syrupy stickiness comes through along with slight alcohol warmth.

Overall: This is easily one of the more influential old ales. It's a must try for anyone who likes the style and a staple in any cellar. The amount of improvement from one year to two is pretty substantial. This would be a fun one to do a large vertical on to see where the peak is. I think at 2+ years it is still moving upward. The balancing with the hops on this one is unlike any old ale I have had before. I look forward to slowly stocking my cellar with these boxes.

2005 vintage bottle #49597,poured a deep rich copper with some burnt orange tint with a short lasting one finger white head.Aromas of brown sugar and orange marmalade with a hint of caramel,sweet but very pleasingly sweet dark sweet cherries dipped in brandy,brown suger and caramel dominate with just a hint of leafy herbal hop in the finish.The alcohol is a little raw but this bottle is pretty new would love to cellar one and likely will.The 2001 vintage is one of my alltime favorite beers, give this some time and it could reach its standards I believe.

It's 8pm, -8 degrees celcius & there's 10 cm of snow of the ground in Barrie....i'm very glad that i chose this beer tonight.

Pours deep amber with a nice foamy off-white head. A lighty spiced nose with hoppy notes and a pinch of fruit. The taste is gentley sweet with hop traces. A nice sponge toffee characteristic is here and lingers nicely. Mild spice, maybe some orange zest as well. Medium bodied. A nice chewiness to the beer brought on by the sweet caramel & molasses and alcohol kick. Warm, sweetn spicey finish with a mild hop trace. This is the perfect beer for a winter eveing. A nice sipper. Great alcohol warmth on the finish. Good complexity. I enjoyed it thuroughly.

Almost has a little funkiness in the nose and taste. Brown sugar, honey, apple, and subtle flowery hops make up some of the complex taste. The alcohol shows quite a bit at first but quickly mellows. Low carbonation makes the body seem thicker and that adds to the richness.

Despite being 5 years old, this beer produces an effervescent carbonation that races through a clear dark maple-syrupy amber beer to form a modest two-fingers of rich khaki head. It leaves a sticky, fragmented lace.

The smell is absolutly mouth-watering. Fruity hops, raisin, nut, cranberry, dark cherry, and yes, even the aroma of fresh pound-cake, form a chorus that wafts out of the glass without even a suggestion of alcohol. As the beer warms a yeasty aroma becomes apparent.

Upon sipping I am struck first by a sweet, rich, nutty, maltiness that is soon lifted off the palate by a combination of carbonation and very soft but fully-present fruity and earthy English hops. They introduce yeasty esters of dark fruit for a bit before a warming alcohol gently creeps in and calms all the layers of flavor on top of a woody scotch character. The aftertase is a delightful vapory perfume. Cordial and berry notes emerge with continued quaffing and amazingly the more I drink this beer the more cohesive and smooth it seems to get. It is very tempting to waste the precious elixer by gulping it.

Mouthfeel is light and gives up an inital soft billow of lifting carbonation before going totally still in the mouth. This beer surpasses and defys my expectations of the style. How ironic that my highest rated-beer may be in my least-favorite style. It is complex and boldly falvorful while amazingly light and drinkable. Yes, it would go very well with a light cigar, but if you have an aged bottle of this, I don't suggest adulterating the experience.

A- Pours a clean dark carmel-amber color with a thick off white head that leaves tons of lacing on the glass. Very appealing sight for an old ale.

S- A very complex aroma of raisins, plums, floral hops, sugar, and alcohol esters. In that order. Great harvest of scents enlighten the beer experience.

T-M- A medium to full flavored ale with mutiple complexities that are admirable in every way. Taste is of dried raisins and sweet alcohol flavor in the finish. Mouthfeel is all and all smooth and leaves a very nice earthy flavor on the tongue that is not offensive at all.

D- Great English ale i will buy at least two more for me and my brother to try... only the best!!!

An excellent ale to have and to celler for years to come i'll age one for myself also.

Bottle #36146
Poured out a nice amber, unclear and with a quickly dissapating head that left only a dusting and bit of creamy bubbles in the corner of the glasses. Nice fruity aroma, grapes and raspberries. Peppery spice with a bit of dougheyness in there too. The carbination is just right in here, not too much. The mouthfeel is very nice, almost chewy. Good flavors, malty and caramel sweetness, bit of hoppy bite in there, not much. The sweetness is very prominant, which makes it more of a sipper than a session.

Presentation: No: 20845 of 85000. 18.6 oz brown Victorian pint bottle. The bottle is perfect for keeping the dregs at bay and the pint glass clear. Presented in a collectors box, the bottle is also adorned as if it were a fine bottle of Port, all the way down to the labeling and the thin paper strip which crosses the crown.

Smell: Creamy with a figgy or raisin fruity aroma, touch of dry malt and estery alcohol in the nose also.

Taste & Mouthfeel : Creamy and smooth with a big malty body, a figgy / pruney like fruit flavour is the front of the malt sweetness which lingers on forever. Hop bitterness has held together well after 4+ years ... spot on for balance and still a decent amount of flavour left. Lovely chewy mouth feel throughout with a good amount of body even in the finish. Alcohol is quite evident ... esters are lively yet are kept at a minimum. The finish has a complex intertwined hop and malt flavour for a perfect end.

Drinkability & Notes: Wow ... a masterpiece in a bottle! Aged to perfection and worth the $6-$7 a bottle. Its flavours have peaked but may not fall to a lesser beer even a year or more of cellaring. Easy to drink with very little aged flavour and no signs of oxidation.

Big, big, big malt aroma. Crystal clear with an off white head. Very pretty beer. Again big malt flavor with a touch of bitterness. There are some flavor hops in the middle that I dont care for. Very nice palate. Fuller bodied. Maybe a touch too much carbonation. This is by far the best Fullers beer I have ever drank.

2004 vintage. Pours light brown with a white head. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar and some slight tartness. Flavor is similar with caramel malt, raisins, brown sugar and some alcohol. Medium, very creamy mouthfeel.

Nose is very pleasant, and classic Old Ale - pushing into English Barleywine territory. Rich dark fruit - apple, currant, figpear, caramelized sugar, toffee, a bit of booze (port), and good pale malt.

Tastes very similar - this is a very enjoyable ale. I've been spoiled recently with the LCBO's release of the Fuller's Past Masters and other less-common brews - this was a nice cap to the whole list. Similar tasting notes as in the nose, but with a leafy hop and mild booziness to the finish. Carbonation is a touch high, but other than that there's not much to complain about.

Though I really enjoyed this brew, it really didn't wow me as much as I had thought it would. Price tag keeps this from being a regular in my house, but it's an enjoyable treat every now and then.